Digital Problem Solving
Digital problem-solving is your ability to solve problems, make decisions and answer questions. The capacity to collect and analyse research data using digital methods. At higher levels, to discover, develop and share new ideas using digital tools; to undertake open scholarship; to design new research questions and programs around digital issues/methods; to develop new digital tools / processes; to evaluate impacts of digital interventions.
Use the below guiding questions and resources to design and plan your assessment and learning resources/activities to support student development of digital problem-solving capabilities.
Student learning outcome examples
- Find and curate digital information to inform decision making and problem solving
- Access and gather relevant data from spreadsheets, databases dashboards, models and simulations
- Collect and record data using digital tools and applications such as video capture, sensors and instrumentation
- Use appropriate methods to analyse data and report results
- Select, prioritise and interpret data (primary or secondary) to answer original questions and solve problems relevant to the subject area
- Derive conclusions or make professional decisions based on digital data and evidence
- Collect and analyse data from clients, users, participants etc. using appropriate professional methods (eg. surveys, interviews, forms, data capture) with an awareness of professional data ethics
- Choose, adopt or develop digital applications to address specific problems
- Access opportunities and risks, benefits and harms from specific digital tools or applications in context
Synchronous Activities
Survey design
- Organise the students into groups and ask them to design a short survey using Microsoft Forms, with a survey topic that is appropriate for everyone in the class to respond to, e.g. travel locations, music.
- Ask each group to fill out each other’s surveys.
- Ask the students to read this questionnaire design resource from the ABS.
- Get each group to look at their survey and fix errors or issues and report back to the class.
Debate
- Split the students into two groups, giving each one a treatment for a certain problem – something divisive.
- Ask them to gather evidence from the literature (you can request help from your liaison librarian).
- Set up a formal debate where each side has to present their research.
Wicked problem
- Give the students a wicked problem – for example, advancing obesity.
- Organise the students into groups and assign each group a different stakeholder to present as.
- Ask the students to gather evidence and make a short video showing the impacts on that stakeholder group now and in the future.
- Watch the videos as a class and then reflect on the videos.
Resources
- Collect and capture research data (QUT AIRS, online module)
- SAGE Research Methods Online (SRMO)(QUT subscribed database)
- Defining Digital Problem Solving(Reading)
- 15 Digital Problem Solving Tasks(Wrike, webpage)
